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Degree awarded: Ph.D. Early Christian Studies. The Catholic University of America

The last thirty-five years have seen major realignments in concepts of canon development, in particular as it relates to development in exegesis. While some Christian writings were generally acknowledged as scripture in the second century, the closure of the canon is placed in the fourth and fifth centuries. Origen established a number of concepts necessary for the development of the concept of canon. This dissertation constructs the mental model Origen formulated to support his exegetical use of scripture, examines the technical terminology he utilized, and the way he deploys scripture. The methodology employed is inter-disciplinary, utilizing philological, textual (e.g. papyri) and exegetical issues across Origen's Contra Celsum, commentaries and Hexapla; nine strands of prior Jewish and Christian commentaries; and ten classical commentaries in astronomy and mathematics. Quantitative measures, including statistical analysis, are applied to examine how Origen is using scripture. Quantitative analysis of Origen's use of scripture in both his Contra Celsum and his commentaries reveals several levels of usage. Comparison with prior Jewish and Christian commentaries shows that Origen has turned the commentary tradition from a set of disparate products into a comprehensive genre based on philological study, logical principles and a model of inspiration of scripture. The classical commentaries have numerous technical details in common with Origen's efforts, and there are numerous similarities in issues. Yet the fourth century classical commentaries show ideological differences in terms of purpose and audience, reflecting the differences between the third and fourth centuries. While grounding his technical details in contemporary classical, Jewish and Christian efforts, this study quantitatively establishes Origen's new directions in technical terminology, structural coherence and usage, driven by his model of inspiration of scripture.

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Advisors/Committee Members: McCarthy, William (Advisor), Rousseau, Philip (Other), Walsh, David (Other), Tuite, Patrick (Other), Toom, Tarmo (Other), Bhutani, Kiran (Other).

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Degree awarded: Ph.D. Church History. The Catholic University of America

Pope Benedict XV's pontificate (1914-1922), misunderstood by his contemporaries and neglected by recent scholarship, coincides with the reshaping of the Middle East, from the beginning of World War One to the assignment of Mandates to France and Britain over Syria and Palestine. This study examines Benedict XV's diplomacy in Greater Syria. Its unique aspect resides in the combination of two approaches. Benedict's main priority was to ensure the survival of Christians in the Middle East, providing them with a dynamic ecclesiological structure. The pontiff completed and institutionalized the traditional ecclesiological approach in favor of unionism, with the goal to strengthen the ecclesial structures of the Eastern churches and equip them with solid legal foundations. This ecclesiological approach was integrated in Benedict XV's global geo-political vision that shifted away from its past Eurocentric vision and was combined with an anticipation of the decolonization era. Benedict completed these guiding principles with a policy of emancipation of the missionary world from the bondage of colonial powers, preparing the Church for an active role in the world. These principles were implemented in Syria-Lebanon, as Benedict XV navigated between the pressure of French imperialism and Prince Feisal's Arab nationalism, as well as in Palestine, dominated by the tension between Britain and France, the implementation of a Jewish national home, and the proselytizing of Protestant missions. The core of the dissertation, which stands at the confluence of Church history, international politics, and law, rests upon a historically critical evaluation of documents found in the Vatican Secret Archives, the Archives of the Congregation for the Oriental Churches, and of the Sacred Congregation for the Propagation of the Faith in Rome, Italy. Benedict XV reigned during a decade that shook the world. He witnessed, in Greater Syria, events that had tremendous historical, religious, and political implications for the future of the region and our understanding of the unending turmoil affecting the Middle East a century later. Pope Benedict emerges as a wise pontiff, a skilled geo-politician, well ahead of his time. This dissertation is the first regional study of Pope Benedict's diplomatic endeavors.

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Advisors/Committee Members: Gres-Gayer, Jacques (Advisor), Zabora, James (Other), Druart, Therese-Anne (Other), Griffith, Sidney (Other), Morerod, Charles (Other), Valkenberg, Wilhelmus (Other).

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Degree awarded: D.N.P. Nursing. The Catholic University of America

Hyperbilirubinemia is the most common problem in the newborn period requiring hospitalization and medical attention. Kernicterus and bilirubin encephalopathy, "never events", are rare but devastating disorders resulting from severe hyperbilirubinemia. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) 2004 Hyperbilirubinemia Clinical Practice Guideline (CPG) was developed to support an approach to decrease the number of newborns who develop severe hyperbilirubinemia and bilirubin encephalopathy. The purpose of this project was to implement and evaluate the impact of adoption of the AAP CPG in a normal newborn nursery. Anticipated clinical outcomes included a decrease in the number of serum bilirubin tests ordered and an increase in "the appropriate use" of phototherapy of healthy term newborns. The Six Step Model for Implementing Evidence Based Practice guided the clinical practice change. Following adoption of the guidelines, retrospective chart reviews were conducted for a 6 week pre-implementation and post-implementation period. Both groups were roughly equivalent in terms of the number of newborns (115) with high initial transcutaneous bilirubin (TcB) levels requiring at least one confirmatory total serum bilirubin (TSB) level and the number requiring treatment with some phototherapy. However there was a significant difference between the two cohorts in terms of the number of TSBs ordered for each jaundiced newborn. In 2011, prior to implementation of the CPG, there were 199 TSBs obtained on 115 newborns with an average of 1.73 TSBs per newborn and a range of 1-7 TSBs. Forty percent of this group of newborns received 2 or more TSBs during their hospital stay. In 2012, post-implementation of the CPG, 157 TSB were obtained on 115 newborns with an average of 1.37 TSBs per newborn, and a range of 1-5 TSBs. Only 22.6% of the 2012 cohort received 2 or more TSBs before discharged. Following implementation of the guidelines, there was also a significant increase in the use of "appropriate phototherapy" (p=0.048). In summary, implementation of the AAP CPG in the newborn nursery resulted in decreased lab costs, decreased nursing time an increase in nursing autonomy and most importantly, improved newborn care in the nursery.

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Advisors/Committee Members: Hawkins-Walsh, Elizabeth (Advisor), Agazio, Janice G (Other), Alvarez, Francisco (Other).

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Degree awarded: Ph.D. Biology. The Catholic University of America

HIV-1 vaccines are designed to mimic the structure and contextual elements of viral epitopes that have the potential to induce broadly neutralizing antibodies (bnAbs) in vivo. The structure of gp41 membrane proximal external region (MPER), targeted by three bnAbs, is poorly defined. The goal of this study is to select epitopes with enhanced binding to MPER bnAbs, to identify neutralization-competent structures by characterizing the function of epitope-specific antibodies in vivo and to determine if these selected MPER epitopes can be used to broaden the immune response as potential vaccines.MPER epitopes were selected by biopanning with phage-displayed peptide libraries against bnAbs 4E10, 2F5 and Z13. Epitopes were screened in antigen competition binding assays where M13-displayed epitopes competed with HIV-1 envelope peptides or infectious HIV-1 particles for antibody binding. In vivo response to MPER was assessed by M13 immunoprecipitation and neutralization competition assays using HIV-positive plasma. Immunogenicity of select epitopes was determined by immunization of mice and elicited cellular and humoral immune responses were assessed.Unique 4E10, and known 2F5 and Z13, epitopes were selected from M13 phage display libraries, which were able to compete with envelope peptide and HIV-1 for antibody binding. 4E10 and 2F5 epitopes were found to be immunogenic during HIV-1 infection; of the twelve HIV+ patient plasma tested, 100% and 58% reacted with phage-displayed 4E10 and 2F5 MPER epitopes, respectively. 4E10-epitopes were capable of absorbing MPER-specific neutralizing antibodies in HIV+ plasma. Mouse immunization with selected, neutralization-competent MPER epitopes elicited HIV-1 specific cellular and humoral immune responses and boosted the neutralizing activity of a gp145 protein subunit vaccine.Unique 4E10 epitopes, that represent functional HIV-1 envelope trimers, were identified. Chronically HIV-infected individuals generate neutralizing antibodies to a subset of the selected MPER-variant epitopes. These M13-displayed 4E10 epitopes have the potential to elicit HIV-1 neutralizing antibodies in mice. Increasing the range of antibody recognition to MPER, potentially by vaccination with multiple MPER variant epitopes, will be the key to improve HIV-1 vaccine design.

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Advisors/Committee Members: Rao, Venigalla B (Advisor), Golin, John E (Other), Greene, James J (Other).

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Degree awarded: S.T.D. Biblical Studies. The Catholic University of America

This dissertation begins with a history of research. Early Christian writers and the Fathers of the Church tended to interpret the parable of the Good Samaritan allegorically. This method of interpretation remained a major way of reading the parable until the end of the nineteenth century. In the wake of Adolf Jülicher's studies on the parables, however, scholars began to explore the origin of the parable, its classification, as well as its historical background. After this history of research, the first chapter of the dissertation concludes that scholars have not given sufficient attention to the literary setting of the parable of the Good Samaritan within the Lukan journey section.In the second chapter this dissertation discusses the text and structure of the parable as well as the meaning of "neighbor" in the time of Jesus and the origin of the animosity between the Jews and Samaritans. The chapter concludes that the parable of the Good Samaritan has two major parts, the initial dialogue between the scholar of the law and Jesus (10:25-28) and the parable proper (10:29-37).The third chapter considers the literary setting of the parable; namely, the Lukan journey section (9:51-19:46). The study of this chapter shows that the placement of the travel notices pointing to Jesus' journey to Jerusalem is not random. They serve to highlight the passages, which remind the reader of the universal scope of salvation. The dissertationdistinguishes between the geographical end of the journey section, the entry into the temple area (19:46), and the final goal of the journey section, which is Jesus' ascension into heaven (24:50-53; Acts 1:6-12). This distinction enables the reader to see salvation as destined for all people regardless of their pedigree or socio-economic status.The fourth chapter offers a narrative analysis of the parable of the Good Samaritan. The analysis notes that the narrator omits any information that could identify the wounded man. The Samaritan is unable to identify the wounded man, his origin, or social status; nonetheless he chooses to do whatever is necessary to assist him. Thus, the parable of an unnamed man who falls into the hands of the robbers and of a Samaritan traveler who helps him challenges the scholar of the law to accept Jesus' teaching. In this way the scholar finds the answer to his question; one cannot inherit eternal life unless one accepts all people regardless of their origin.The final chapter shows how the parable of the Good Samaritan picks up the major themes of the journey section and develops them further (Jesus comes to fulfill the law not to abolish it, universal salvation destined for all regardless of their status, and the growing conflict between Jesus and the religious leaders of the people).

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Advisors/Committee Members: Matera, Frank J (Advisor), Heil, John P (Other), Mardaga, Hellen (Other).

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Here in this Place: Theology of Place as a Means of EnrichingDiocesan Seminarian Spiritual FormationPeter Alan Marshall, D.MinDirector: Raymond Studzinski, OSB, PhDThe initial and ongoing spiritual formation of diocesan priests is a perennial concern forthe Catholic Church. In the current context of fewer priests and individual priests encounteringmultiple concurrent assignments and frequent moves to new assignments, the need is great forseminarian spiritual formation that is centered on the charism of diocesan priests, rooted in thespiritual tradition of the Church and resilient to current pressures both within and without theChurch. Spiritual formation that is focused on deepening the seminarian’s sense of connection tohis diocese and his particular parish assignment will prove helpful to the future priest as heprepares to engage in service in a fluctuating context.While John Paul II, in Pastores Dabo Vobis, addressed the unique ways in whichincardination impacts the identity and ministry of the diocesan priest, few have looked at specificways in which diocesan priests could use theology of place to deepen and enrich both theirpersonal spirituality and their ministry to their communities.This project was designed for seminarians studying at St. Meinrad Seminary and Schoolof Theology. Six sessions were held weekly during the semester, and combined both traditionalclassroom learning with experiential learning and prayer exercises.This project provides a model of diocesan priestly spiritual formation for seminarians thatis rooted in the diocesan priestly reality of incardination by developing a seminarian’sappreciation for theology of place and its potential impact on mission. No known model ofspiritual formation for diocesan priestly spirituality combines this spirituality with experientiallearning. The evaluation of the project indicates that participants grew in both theirunderstanding of Theology of Place and diocesan priestly spirituality.

Spirituality

Theology

Pastoral Studies

Degree Awarded: D.Min. Pastoral Studies. The Catholic University of America

Advisors/Committee Members: The Catholic University of America (Degree granting institution), Studzinski, Raymond (Thesis advisor), Rosetti, Stephen (Thesis advisor).

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Degree awarded: Ph.D. English Language and Literature. The Catholic University of America

The surrealist movement, begun in the 1920s and developed and articulated most visibly and forcefully by André Breton, has unequivocally changed American poetry, yet the nature and history of its impact until recently has not been thoroughly and consistently recounted. The panoramic range of its influence has been implicitly understood but difficult to identify partly because of the ambivalence with which it has been received by American writers and audiences. Surrealism's call to a "systematic derangement of all the senses" has rarely existed comfortably alongside other modern poetic approaches. Nevertheless, some poets have successfully negotiated this tension and extended surrealism to the context of postmodern American culture.A critical history of surrealism's influence on American poetry is quickly gaining momentum through the work of scholars, including Andrew Joron, Michael Skau, Charles Borkuis, David Arnold and Garrett Caples. This dissertation joins these scholars by investigating how selected American poets and poetic schools received, transformed, and transmitted surrealism in the second half of the twentieth century, especially during the mid-`50s through the early `80s, when the movement's influence in the States was rapid and most definitive. First, I summarize the impact of the surrealist movement on American poets through World War II, including Charles Henri Ford, Ezra Pound, William Carlos Williams, and Philip Lamantia, and briefly examine Julian Levy's anthology, Surrealism (1936). Next, I investigate how surrealism was transmitted to the Beats and elucidate surrealist elements in the work of Gregory Corso and Bob Kaufman. Then I analyze the deep image poets (especially Jerome Rothenberg, Robert Kelly, Robert Bly, and James Wright) and how their attempt to combine surrealism with imagism and Jungian depth psychology framed the discourse about surrealism during the `60s and `70s. The implications of this assimilation are explored further in a study of George Hitchcock and Kayak magazine. Finally, I consider the complicated relationship between the language poets and surrealism, and how the complementarity of the two movements is worked out in the writing of Clark Coolidge.

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Advisors/Committee Members: Suarez, Ernest (Advisor), Winslow, Rosemary (Other), Johnson, Glen (Other).

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Degree awarded: Ph.D. Historical Systematic Theology. The Catholic University of America

One of the seminal developments in Roman Catholic theology since the Second Vatican Council has been an expanding comprehension of the reality of social sin. The bishops of Latin America identified the systemic poverty around them as a "situation of sin" and called for a "preferential option for the poor" as necessary for both personal and ecclesial conversion. The teachings of John Paul II took cognizance of the "new" reality of social sin while still preserving a sense of individual moral agency. The issue of how best to comprehend moral agency in the context of social sin has persisted, however: the matters of accountability for the perpetuation of social sin and moral responsibility for rectifying the structural manifestations of sin have been difficult to resolve. The dissertation begins with a historical review of some of the core principles and theological suppositions regarding sin and moral agency as articulated in the Catholic theological tradition. Two key sets of post-Vatican II sources are investigated in detail: synodal documents of the Latin American bishops (produced at the conclusion of the CELAM conferences at Medellín in 1968 and at Puebla in 1979), and selected writings from the teaching of Pope John Paul II (most especially the texts, Reconciliatio et paenitentia, Sollicitudo rei socialis, and Ut unum sint). A heuristic framework comprising five questions is established then to reveal how the various texts do in fact explicate moral agency and ethical responsibility in relation to the broad dynamic of social sin. The magisterial documents are examined in detail in terms of their response to each of the five questions posed. A synthesis addressing comparability is constructed: in what respects the documents concur with one another, where their positions diverge, and the degree to which the texts are themselves internally consistent in relation to the five heuristic questions. In light of that synthesis, the dissertation concludes with a short chapter highlighting some additional areas of theological reflection related to the topic of sin which may be of use in future efforts to provide a coherent Catholic accounting of ethical demands in relation to social sin.

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Advisors/Committee Members: Barbieri, William A. (Advisor), Loewe, William (Other), Crysdale, Cynthia (Other).

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The Provenance and Purpose of Personal Ordinariates Erected under the Auspices of the Apostolic Constitution Anglicanorum CœtibusJames Daniel Bradley, J.C.D. Director: Kurt Martens, J.C.D.The apostolic constitution Anglicanorum Cœtibus is a response to petitions from groups of Anglicans to be received into communion with the Holy See in a corporate manner. This dissertation examines the origin of such petitions, the development of the principles guiding the response, and an analysis of the legislation.Chapter One traces the origins of corporate reunion from Newman to the Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, in particular the Association for Promoting the Unity of Christendom and the Malines Conversations.Chapter Two discusses the Second Vatican Ecumenical Council with respect to ecumenism and Anglicanism. It examines the establishment of relations between Anglicans and the Holy See, the Anglican-Roman Catholic International Commission (ARCIC), and proposals for the corporate reunion of Anglicans in the Diocese of Amritsar, the United States, the Diocese of Matabeleland, and the United Kingdom.Chapter Three considers the overtures made by groups of Anglicans from 2005 to 2009. This includes the Anglican Church in North America (ACNA), Church of England bishops, and the Traditional Anglican Communion. It details the announcement, reception, and implementation of Anglicanorum coetibus.Chapter Four examines proposals for the corporate reunion of Anglicans including the Church sui iuris, the personal prelature, and the personal apostolic administration. The notion of ordinariates is discussed with respect to the Latin ordinariates for Eastern faithful and military ordinariates.Chapter Five considers the implementation of the provision of Anglicanorum cœtibus, in particular the transmission of the Anglican patrimony through personal parishes, the liturgical provision, the formation of clergy, and ecumenical dialogue.The General Conclusion proposes two further developments: the extension of the objective criteria for eligibility for membership of a personal ordinariate, and the eventual erection of personal dioceses.Extensive appendices contain documentation pertaining to the development of the canonical model for the corporate reunion of Anglicans with the Catholic Church.

Canon law

anglican, anglicanorum coetibus, anglican reunion, pastoral provision, personal jurisdiction, personal ordinariate

Canon Law

Degree Awarded: J.C.D. Canon Law. The Catholic University of America

Advisors/Committee Members: The Catholic University of America (Degree granting institution), Martens, Kurt (Thesis advisor), Daniel, William (Committee member), Jenkins, Ronny (Committee member).

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Degree awarded: Ph.D. Education. The Catholic University of America

Investigating Relationships between the Subscales of the Mayer-Salovey-Caruso Emotional Intelligence Test and the General Ability Measure for Adults General Intelligence Test Tabitha S. Harper, Ph.D. Director: John Convey, Ph.D. Research concerning traditional college student populations has demonstrated a relationship between cognitive ability, often measured by academic success or grade point average, and the ability to manage one's emotions both within and outside of the classroom. Studies further show that emotional intelligence plays an integral role in daily educational activities, self-regulation, and the establishment of goals, particularly for first-year students. Colleges and universities have begun to develop resources for all levels of undergraduates in order to ensure a smooth transition into the college environment and continued success, socially and academically throughout their college residency. This study examined the relationships between the constructs of emotional intelligence and general, or cognitive, intelligence as measured by the subscales of the Mayer-Salovey-Caruso Emotional Intelligence Test (MSCEIT) and the General Ability Measure for Adults (GAMA) and determined to what extent the relationship between the subscales varied by gender. The participants consisted of 86 traditional, undergraduate students from a cross-section of classes in the Department of Education at a southern university. Two data collection instruments were used in this study: the Mayer-Salovey-Caruso Emotional Intelligence Test, (MSCEIT), and the General Ability Measure for Adults (GAMA). One of the study's most important results is that the General Ability Measure for Adults Total score is a significant predictor of the MSCEIT Understanding Emotions (UE) subscale score when controlling for the students' grade point average. In addition, grade point average is a significant predictor of the Managing Emotions and Perceiving Emotions subscale scores when controlling for the total GAMA IQ scores. Lastly, when the MSCEIT Understanding Emotions (UE) subscale was controlled for, gender proved to be significant in the prediction of grade point average. However, no additional statistically significant differences were discovered for females and males on the remaining MSCEIT (Perceiving Emotions, Facilitating Thought, and Managing Emotions) and GAMA subscale scores (Matching, Analogies, Sequences, and Construction). In conclusion, the results of this study add to the literature in Educational Psychology concerning the relationships between the emotional and cognitive intelligence of college students and provide a better understanding of the role that emotions play when college students are trying to solve complex cognitive problems.

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Advisors/Committee Members: Convey, John J (Advisor), Perencevich, Kathleen C (Other), Cave, Agnes (Other), Gangone, Lynn M (Other).

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Research demonstrates that the dual mission of Catholic schools, which integrates academic and spiritual growth, requires unique leadership from its principals (Bryk et. al 1993; Ciriello, 1996, 1998; Coleman & Hoffer, 1987; Cook, 2001, Jacobs, 2002). Contemplative leadership is a model suited to the distinctive principalship of the Catholic school. Contemplative principals, who understand and utilize reflective decision making based on Gospel values, Church tradition, and their personal Catholic character, employ a needed and “unique rationale for decision making” (Schuttloffel, 2008, p. 3). This reflective decision making along with other components of contemplative leadership behavior and the individual Catholic character of principals provides a leadership construct that guides teachers toward an understanding that this educational community is concerned with the student’s mind and soul (Schuttloffel, 1999, 2008, 2013). This study examined the extent to which contemplative leadership is practiced by principals and experienced by teachers while exploring the relationships between the formation of these principals and the use of contemplative practices and teachers’ experience of contemplative leadership and their care for students’ spiritual lives. Participants for this study included principals and teachers from three dioceses in Michigan. Surveys were sent to the principals and teachers of 75 schools. Sixty-one schools (81.3%) participated with a total of 56 principals and 295 teachers who completed the survey. Two surveys were developed for this study: Principals’ Contemplative Leadership Practices Survey and Teachers’ Experience of Contemplative Practice Survey. This study uncovers three major findings: Contemplative leadership is practiced by principals and experienced by teachers at a high level; there is a significant and positive relationship between the formation of principals and their use of contemplative practice; the most important finding is that there is a significant and positive connection between teachers’ perception of contemplative leadership and teachers’ care for students’ spiritual lives. These findings provide current principals, priests, diocesan leadership, and those in Catholic higher education insight into contemplative leadership practices and its impact on teachers’ care for students’ spiritual lives.

Educational leadership

Catholic School Leadership, Contemplative Leadership, Students' Spiritual Lives, Teachers' care for Students Spiritual Lives

Education

Degree Awarded: Ph.D. Education. The Catholic University of America

Advisors/Committee Members: The Catholic University of America (Degree granting institution), Schuttloffel, Merylann (Thesis advisor), Convey, John (Thesis advisor), DeFiore, Leonard (Committee member), Hanson, Sandra (Committee member), Clawson, Deborah (Committee member).

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Degree awarded: Ph.D. Civil Engineering. The Catholic University of America

Approximately 120 computer simulations were conducted to evaluate how a mode-1-type internal wave would interaction with a variety of submarine topographic (physiographic) obstacles likely to be found in a marine setting. A total of seven obstacle geometries were selected for evaluation - shelf, slope-shelf, extended slope, short-slope, reverse-shelf, a single (isolated) rectangular obstacle, and a single triangular obstacle. Internal waves of `depression' as well as `elevation' were formed using a two-layered, stratified numerical model based on the Navier-Stokes and continuity equations. The governing equations assumed Boussinesq conditions. Output data from the FORTRAN-based computer code were post-processed using MATLAB-based computer programs that calculated internal wave amplitudes and energies. These data were compared to published data associated with experimental wave tank studies and found generally to be in good agreement. Data from the numerical simulation trials were also used to generate figures illustrating various hydrodynamic features (pycnocline, streamlines, and velocity vectors) of an internal wave as it forms as well as when it interacts with different types of obstacle geometries. The types of features and processes observed included the formation of Kelvin-Helmholtz or K-H-like vortices and various stages of the classically-recognized wave-breaking progression ("wash-down," "breaking," "bore," and "surge"). When considering a stratified fluid system, it was confirmed that internal wave characteristics are influenced in large measure by the relative depths of the two fluids defining the system as well as the effects of viscous decay (damping). It was also confirmed that the nature of the interaction between an internal wave and a topographic obstacle is influenced by the magnitude of either the nonlinear parameter or the blocking parameter. The numerical simulation trials also allowed for the interrogation of the modeling domain to determine the nature of the stability conditions (static vs. dynamic) in time and space. In this regard, evaluation of both the Richardson number and the normalized density gradient provided additional insights into the hydrodynamics of the system when topographic obstacles are present. Three instability states were evaluated: K-H, buoyant, and static.This research contributes to a basic understanding of internal wave phenomena and includes some general conclusions regarding the effects of obstacle geometry on internal wave behavior and properties.

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Advisors/Committee Members: Pao, Hsien (Frank) P. (Advisor), Nieh, Sen (Other), Ling, Shyang (Sam) C. (Other).

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Degree Awarded: Ph.D. Psychology. The Catholic University of America

Prominent researchers have suggested that criminal prosecutions should require more than the testimony of a single eyewitness. The present study investigated the effects of how additional evidence, beyond a single eyewitness, affected mock jury decision making. The results are compared to predictions from Bayes Theorem, which provides a normative/rational/statistical model of how mock jurors should update judgments given new information. Participants (N = 440, data collected via MTurk) read a summary of testimony from the victim of a home invasion, and then at Time 1 (T1), they judged the Likelihood of the defendant's Guilt, rated their Trust in the Victim's testimony, and rendered a Verdict. At Time 2 (T2), participants read one of six additional types of evidence: strong or weak forensic, strong or weak eyewitness, or strong or weak confession evidence, and answered the same questions as at Time 1. All participants were then instructed to disregard the additional T2 evidence, and at Time 3 (T3), they answered the questions for a third time. Three independent evaluations of each piece of additional evidence supported a "true" value of that information for Bayesian predictions. However using these values, Bayesian predictions for Likelihood of Guilt at T2 and T3 always over-adjusted the change in Likelihood of Guilt. At T2, Bayes over-predicted guilt, whereas at T3, Bayes underpredicted guilt. Contrary to Bayes Theorem, the value of prior information, such as the eyewitness's testimony, changed as new evidence was added or removed. All participants other than the weak forensic group increased in Likelihood, Trust, and Verdict at Time 2, and declined at Time 3 to levels similar to Time 1. The weak forensic evidence group declined on all measures at Time 2, which replicated Martire et al. (2013), but surprisingly they rebounded on Trust and Verdict at Time 3 to levels significantly higher than at Time 1. In conclusion, Bayes theorem does not describe how mock jurors use more than one piece of evidence in making decisions. The value of any piece of evidence depends in part on the value of other evidence. Multiple regression predicted mock juror decision-making better than Bayes theorem.

Advisors/Committee Members: Martin Safer (Advisor), Deborah Clawson (Other), James Howard, Jr. (Other), Lorenzo Resca (Other), Dennis Coyle (Other).

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Degree awarded: Ph.D. Religious Education/Catechetics. The Catholic University of America

The first permanent mission of the United States Catholic Church in South America was a Catholic private school established by the Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary (IHM) in Lima, Peru, in 1922. The IHM Sisters of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, sent four sisters to Lima in response to the invitation of Emilio Lisson Chávez, CM, the Archbishop of Lima. Cardinal Dennis Dougherty agreed to Lisson's request to find a religious community of women to teach in a school that the archbishop promised to provide. The IHMs, a diocesan congregation of educators at the time, waselected. The success of Protestant mission schools among the Catholic population of Peru prompted the archbishop of Lima to provide an alternative to the American-style education where instruction in English and a modern curriculum prepared Peruvians of all social classes, especially in Lima, with a modern progressive education. The IHM sisters told the story of their experience of mission in their correspondence, diaries, annals, and reports. Their words and actions reflect attentiveness to the challenges of the new ecclesial context. The North American IHMs successfully established two American-style Catholic schools within five years without the aid promised by the zealous, but impractical, archbishop of Lima. Villa Maria Academy in Miraflores and St. Anthony School in Callao embedded the sisters into two social classes striving to find their place in the national effort to modernize Peru – the working poor, and the rising middle class. Eager for access to American-style Catholic schools where their children would be educated in English and their Catholic identity safeguarded, parents vied to register their sons and daughters in the IHM schools. The sisters' story details how their educational mission endured through many unexpected events: earthquakes, revolutions, terrorism, epidemics, scandal, and division.

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Advisors/Committee Members: Dooley, Catherine (Advisor), Ford, John (Other), Riley, James (Other), Marks, Hanna (Other), Stevens, Jay (Other).

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Marital spirituality is inevitably different from the spiritualities embraced by celibates, because it must account for a man and woman becoming one. A need exists in the Church to articulate how the spiritual life can be lived in marriage and to offer a model for spousal prayer befitting of married life.This treatise describes essential elements for a marital spirituality, examines causes for the crisis in Christian marriage today, and presents a pastoral response for teaching spouses how to remain under the influence of the Spirit together through prayerful conversations. Spouses participated in a six-week research study learning about their priestly mission—to become a community in dialogue with God—and implementing a model for prayerful conversations based on St. Ignatius’ examen prayer and rules for the discernment of spirits. These “Ignatian prayerful conversations” included personal review of their attentiveness and responsiveness to the movements of God; gratitude and forgiveness for each other; conversation about the Spirit’s activity in their daily life; prayers of petition for specific graces needed to remain under the influence of the Spirit; and a concluding prayer. The results from the study reveal that the participating spouses had patterns of talking with each other about their faith prior to beginning the program, but did not have habits of praying together as an expression of their faith. The program successfully empowered these spouses to bring God into their conversations at home so that they did not just talk about God as a couple but also talked with God as a couple. They transitioned from being a community in dialogue with each other to becoming a community in dialogue with God and thereby crossed a new threshold in achieving their priestly mission. Learning to have prayerful conversations, wherein they could identify and respond to the movement of the Spirit together, enabled them to fulfill the deepest meaning of their vocation—to become the help of God for one another—and empowered them to fulfill the very essence of marital spirituality—to abide together under the influence of the Spirit.

Spirituality

Theology

Pastoral counseling

Family, Ignatius, Marriage, Pastoral, Prayer, Spirituality

Pastoral Studies

Degree Awarded: D.Min. Pastoral Studies. The Catholic University of America

Advisors/Committee Members: The Catholic University of America (Degree granting institution), Timoney, Susan (Thesis advisor), McCormack, Edward (Thesis advisor), Grabowski, John (Committee member).

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Degree awarded: Ph.D. Social Work. The Catholic University of America

Despite the fact that research has emphasized the importance of empathy in the establishment of the physician-patient relationship (Norfolk, Birdi, & Walsh, 2007), little empirical research has been undertaken to identify and measure the factors related to the development of empathy among medical students. Several studies have suggested that the quality of the doctor-patient relationship not only influences the patient's perception and attitudes toward disease (Lerman et al., 1993), but also precipitates positive, measurable results, including quality of life and improved health outcomes (Baile & Aaron, 2005; Barrier, Li, & Jensen, 2003; Stewart, 1995; Traveline, Ruchinskas, & D'Alonzo, 2005; Teutsch, 2003).The present study explored both personal and contextual factors posited to influence levels of empathy in medical students. Personal factors included self-esteem, altruism, and personal experience with illness. Medical school year, chosen specialty, and participation in psycho-social curriculum were considered as contextual factors. The following hypotheses guided the study: H1 - Controlling for age, gender and race, those medical students with higher levels of self-esteem and altruism, and those who have had personal experience with chronic/serious illness, will have higher levels of measured empathy than those medical students who do not. H2 - Controlling for age, gender and race, those medical students who are in their first year of study, who have participated in psycho-social curricular electives, and who have selected either psychiatry, pediatrics, emergency, family or internal medicine as a specialty, will have higher levels of measured empathy than students in the second, third or fourth year, those students who have not participated in psycho-social curricular electives, and those who have selected either orthopedic surgery or anesthesiology as specialties.Four reliable and valid instruments measuring self-esteem, altruism, and dimensions of empathy constituted the majority of the questions in the online survey. Descriptive statistics were conducted to describe the sample. Reliability statistics were run on all scales using Cronbach's Alpha, and multiple regression analysis was employed to test the hypotheses.Significant findings indicate the following:1) Medical students with higher levels of self-esteem and altruism, and those who have had personal experience with chronic/serious illness, have higher levels of measured empathy.2) Students participating in the Mind/Body psycho-social curricular elective have greater levels of empathy than those not enrolled in this program.3) Students selecting the specialty category of Orthopedics/Anesthesiology have lowered measured levels of empathy than students in other specialties.4) Female students have greater empathy than male students.Implications for the study suggest that the social work profession is uniquely important in health care, as it considers the whole person as a…

Advisors/Committee Members: Shields, Joseph J (Advisor), Zabora, James (Other), Mayer, Lynn (Other), Haramati, Aviad (Other).

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In the 1993 encyclical Veritatis Splendor Pope John Paul II stated that the “morality of the human act depends primarily and fundamentally on the ‘object’ rationally chosen by the deliberate will.” Since that time the interpretation of the moral object has garnered increased attention among Thomist scholars. Yet it remains a source of dispute. Two scholars who take rather opposed views on what Aquinas means by the moral object are Martin Rhonheimer and Steven Long. The purpose of this dissertation is to elucidate the account of Aquinas’s doctrine through a comparison of the interpretations of each of these scholars with Aquinas’s own work. Part 1 will elaborate the work of Steven Long and Martin Rhonheimer in order to identify the areas of disagreement between the two. Part 2 will summarize the work of Aquinas’s precursors in order to provide the context in which Aquinas developed his own doctrine and then examine Aquinas’s own work as it relates to the areas of disagreement between our two scholars. Part 3 will compare each scholar’s work with Aquinas’s texts in order to evaluate the accuracy of each account and the insights each has to offer. This analysis of two clearly opposing views in the post-Veritatis Splendor debates, informed by a critical reading of Aquinas’ texts, offers to provide a deeper understanding of the moral object as elaborated by Aquinas.

Theology

Aquinas, Long, moral act, natural law, object, Rhonheimer

Moral Theology/Ethics

Degree Awarded: Ph.D. Moral Theology/Ethics. The Catholic University of America

Advisors/Committee Members: The Catholic University of America (Degree granting institution), Mattison III, William (Thesis advisor), Capizzi, Joseph (Committee member), Hoffmann, Tobias (Committee member).

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Building upon the arguments of Jacob Klein and Edmund Husserl that we can only understand the meaning of modern science by investigating its historical development, this dissertation aims to uncover the nature and conceptual presuppositions of Descartes’s concept of space. In analyzing this concept, the dissertation extends Klein’s analysis of Descartes’s contribution to the development of modern symbolic mathematics to Descartes’s equally important role in developing the conceptual underpinnings of modern mathematical physics by showing that Descartes’s concept of space, which spans and unites the mathematical and physical domains, is an expansion of the symbolic concept of number. The analysis of Descartes’s concept of space depends upon connecting the following aspects of Descartes’s writings: the account of mind and mathematical cognition in the Rules for the Direction of the Mind, the conceptual structure of the mathematical objects and the mathematical understanding of space in the Geometry, and the physical understanding of space in the Principles of Philosophy. The dissertation ultimately concludes that Descartes’s concept of space allows the distinctive conceptual structure of modern mathematics to be applied to the physical world, whereby that concept provides a conceptual framework within which mathematical physics can exist.

Philosophy

Philosophy

Degree Awarded: Ph.D. Philosophy. The Catholic University of America

Advisors/Committee Members: The Catholic University of America (Degree granting institution), Hassing, Richard (Thesis advisor), McCarthy, John (Committee member), Hopkins, Burt (Committee member).

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Adolescent suicide is currently the third leading cause of death for children and adolescents (ages 1-19), and 15-30% of adolescents who attempt suicide go on to re-attempt within one year (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services [USHHS], 2012; World Health Organization [WHO], 2012). It is therefore important to have a greater understanding of the risk and protective factors of the immediate post-attempt time period (Cash & Bridge, 2009; Ross & Heath, 2002; Yates, Tracy, & Luthar, 2008). Recently, increased emphasis has been placed upon social support and its role in adolescent mental health, although, to our knowledge, there has only been one longitudinal study with more than two timepoints measuring change in peer connectedness in suicidal adolescents. Czyz and colleagues (2012) examined suicidality in adolescents over the course of one year following psychiatric hospitalization. They found that for adolescents whose peer connectedness increased more, the likelihood of attempting suicide was reduced by approximately 50%. The present study expands upon Czyz’s findings, examining the distinct group of adolescents who make serious suicide attempts, and looking specifically at change in peer attachment during the critical post-attempt (two-year) time period. In addition, the present study allows for the examination of a model in which depression moderates this association between peer attachment and ideation. Findings suggest that an increase in perceived peer attachment are associated with a decline in suicidal ideation after a suicide attempt, and that this benefit may be most valuable for adolescents who are less depressed at baseline.

Clinical psychology

adolescent, depression, hierarchical, ideation, longitudinal, suicidal

Psychology

Degree Awarded: Ph.D. Psychology. The Catholic University of America

Advisors/Committee Members: The Catholic University of America (Degree granting institution), Goeke-Morey, Marcie (Thesis advisor), Wagner, Barry (Committee member), Rich, Brendan (Committee member), Yeo, Andrew (Committee member), Sabatino, Christine (Committee member).

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Background: Asthma is one of the major chronic diseases in the pediatric population affecting 9.5% of children. The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) recommends the use of the Childhood-Asthma Control Test or the Asthma Control Test for periodic assessment of asthma control as one of the four validated instruments. Despite the recommendation from the national guidelines, research has shown adherence to the guidelines is suboptimal.Purpose: The purpose of this evidence-based project was to implement the Childhood-Asthma Control Test or the Asthma Control Test screening tools into the primary care practice to improve management of patients with asthma by more accurately addressing asthma control. The anticipated outcomes of this project were improved identification of asthma control from the patient and/or family’s perspective in accordance with the national guidelines and optimization of asthma management based upon the level of control.Methods: The Iowa Model-Revised: Evidence-Based Practice to Promote Excellence in Health Care was used to guide this evidence-based project. An educational program was devised and presented to the providers and nursing staff of the clinic. A systematic change was implemented. The project was a pre and post implementation study comparing two different groups of patients with asthma seen at the clinic over five-week periods.Results: Prior to implementation, only 1 APRN had used a single Asthma Control Test. After the implementation of the educational program and project, 82.6% of APRNs and 30.7% of pediatric resident physicians utilized an Asthma Control Test resulting in identification of 9 (21%) patients who were considered not well-controlled. All (100%) of those children identified as not well-controlled through the Asthma Control Test received an adjustment in their medication therapy and one child was referred to pulmonary medicine for further evaluation. Conclusion: The C-ACT and ACT are simple, self-administered, validated questionnaires that can easily be incorporated into a primary care practice to assess the level of asthma control and to identify patients with asthma that is not well controlled.

Nursing

Asthma, Asthma Control Test, Pediatrics

Nursing

Degree Awarded: D.N.P. Nursing. The Catholic University of America

Advisors/Committee Members: The Catholic University of America (Degree granting institution), Hawkins-Walsh, Elizabeth (Thesis advisor), Harrow, Cheryl (Committee member), Meadows-Oliver, Mikki (Committee member).

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Degree awarded: Ph.D. Philosophy. The Catholic University of America

Throughout his works, Aquinas consistently maintains that human beings have the ability to make free decisions. One question he does not clearly answer, however, is whether a fully deterministic world would rule out the possibility of free decisions. Contemporary philosophers are themselves divided over whether determinism is compatible with free decisions. Many philosophers put forward compatibilist theories of free will. According to a compatibilist account, free decisions are compatible with determinism. Incompatibilist theories, on the other hand, deny that free decisions are compatible with determinism. Incompatibilist theories can themselves be divided into two major categories: hard incompatibilist theories and libertarian theories. The former are incompatibilist theories that deny the existence of free decisions, the latter are incompatibilist theories that affirm the existence of free decisions. Scholars disagree about how Aquinas would stand relative to these categories. No matter how Aquinas is interpreted, his theory must be defended against contemporary objections before it can be declared a tenable position. This dissertation seeks to resolve the interpretational conflict surrounding the question of whether or not Aquinas can be categorized as a compatibilist or an incompatibilist. If this question cannot be answered, our understanding of Aquinas will remain drastically incomplete. I attempt to show that it is possible to discern how Aquinas would answer this question. By investigating various aspects of his account of free decision, I show that the theory Aquinas puts forward is fundamentally libertarian. Having investigated Aquinas's theory in itself, this dissertation turns to a critical analysis of his theory. The analysis focuses on several recent critiques of libertarian theories of free choice, most notably, those put forward by Harry Frankfurt, Peter van Inwagen, and Richard Double. Although there are clearly important differences between many contemporary libertarian theories of free choice and Aquinas's libertarian theory, I contend that there are important similarities as well. Given these similarities, it is worthwhile to ask whether Aquinas's theory can withstand the critiques that have been leveled against contemporary libertarian accounts. I ultimately conclude that Aquinas's theory can withstand the objections considered, although his account cannot ultimately be declared tenable without a defense of his account of the immaterial nature of the intellect and will.

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Advisors/Committee Members: Hoffmann, Tobias (Advisor), Gorman, Michael (Other), McKay Knobel, Angela (Other).

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Degree awarded: Ph.D. Semitic and Egyptian Languages and Literatures. The Catholic University of America

Verbal hendiadys is described in Biblical Hebrew textbooks and grammars as a verbal construction consisting of two verbs whereby one qualifies the other. Such constructions occur as a sequence of two finite verbs or in a construction in which a finite verb is complemented by an infinitive. It is usually assumed that the first verb expresses an adverbial idea whereas the second verb contributes a lexical meaning. A historical survey reveals that the rhetorical term hendiadys was used without restrictions for various, sometimes linguistically unrelated, categories. This dissertation argues that the traditional term hendiadys is inadequate for such verbal constructions and proposes to call them auxiliary verb constructions and the verbs that are assumed to express an adverbial idea as auxiliary verbs. It provides a linguistic framework of grammaticalization and auxiliation and offers a comprehensive analysis of Hebrew auxiliary verbs on the basis of this framework. Grammaticalization is explained as a complex diachronic change whereby a lexical item gradually becomes a grammatical marker. The analysis explains how the verb HLK `go' became an auxiliary of gradual progression, the verb SHWB `return' – an auxiliary of repetition, the verb YSP `add' – an auxiliary of addition and continuation, the verb QWM `get up' – an auxiliary of ingressiveness, the verb MHR `hurry' – an auxiliary of speed and urgency.

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Advisors/Committee Members: Cook, Edward M. (Advisor), Gross, Andrew D. (Other), Ryan, Stephen D. (Other).

▼ This dissertation is a “parallel study” that closely examines China and the American South's transitions from traditional agrarian societies into more modern and urban ones at the turn of the twentieth century. I examine six major works written during The Literary Revolution and the Southern Renaissance, China and the American South’s respective modernist literary movements. The works I have chosen, in the order of my discussion, are The Fathers (1938) by Allen Tate, Family (1933) by Pa Chin, Thunderstorm (1933) by Cao Yu, A Streetcar Named Desire (1947) by Tennessee Williams, The Sound and The Fury (1929) by William Faulkner, and The Yellow Storm (1944) by Lao She. Although there are studies comparing these individual authors, no previous comparative study on this topic and of this scope exists. This dissertation juxtaposes and compares these two literatures because both societies share traditional patriarchal, hierarchical family ethics that have been institutionalized and enshrined in similar and culturally significant ways. In modern Chinese literature, this dynamic mainly takes the form of Confucian family ethics, while modern southern literature is shaped by patriarchal codes of honor. In both cases family ethics primarily define an individual by his/her familial roles and status in the private sphere (e.g., individual psychology and spirituality) and in the public arena (e.g., politics and economics). As both societies became rapidly modernized in the early twentieth century, individualism became a prominent theme in many literary works. The central issue this dissertation explores concerns the extent to which the individual is depicted as a unique and complex being with intrinsic value and rights, independent of his/her patriarchal hierarchical family ethics. All six writers engage this theme, but their creative practices, and their historical and biographical contexts, reveal significant differences between them. Tate and Lao She are more in favor of individuals being defined by such family ethics; they believe that it preserves communal harmony and sovereignty that can sustain individuals. However, Pa Chin, Cao Yu, Williams, and Faulkner are skeptical of the harmony and order that a traditional patriarchal structure imposes; they show how individual uniqueness, complexity, and worth can be dismissed, oppressed, and denied by traditional ethics. By addressing rebellion, flight, despair, and tragedy, they strive to affirm and uphold the value of the unique individual and critique the various aspects of the family ethics that threaten to smother or eradicate it. This dissertation demonstrates that recognition of a person's individuality, specifically in justice system, dramatic art, and spiritual system, is a fundamental issue that writers from the two traditional cultures had to confront during the twentieth century; the core issue of how an individual derives value, independence, and equal rights serves as a major challenge to China and the American South in their modernization, and provides a key… Advisors/Committee Members: The Catholic University of America (Degree granting institution), Suarez, Ernest (Thesis advisor), Johnson, Glen (Committee member), Nemoianu, Virgil (Committee member).

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Children presenting with nonepisodic irritability (i.e., chronic and without distinct manic episodes) represent a highly impaired population and one that requires treatment superseding conventional psychosocial methods. However, little scholarly attention has been devoted to identifying empirically-based treatments for these youths. The present study addresses gaps in the literature by examining the effectiveness of a manualized, resilience-based group therapy program, the Resilience Builder Program® (RBP), implemented in a private practice setting with children identified as meeting a severe mood and behavior dysregulation profile (DP). These youths are likely to meet criteria for the severe mood dysregulation (SMD) classification or disruptive mood dysregulation disorder (DMDD). Pre- and post-therapy multi-informant (parent, child, and teacher) data were collected from 48 DP youths and 83 non-DP youths aged 7 to 12 years to assess for change in functioning across four domains: emotional, behavioral, social, and family. Results demonstrated preliminary evidence for the effectiveness of the RBP in improving parent report of emotional and behavioral functioning in DP youths, and such improvements exceeded those displayed by non-DP youths. In particular, DP youths exhibited significant reductions in parent report of depressive symptoms and overall internalizing problems as well as in parent report of externalizing problems, including aggressive behaviors and inattention. Interestingly, neither DP nor non-DP youths significantly improved in domains of social and family functioning following treatment; however, neither group was clinically impaired in areas of social functioning at baseline assessment, and DP youths were clinically impaired on only one measure of family functioning prior to treatment. These results may begin to clarify effective methods of intervention for children with severe deficits in regulating their affect and behavior and provide a foundation for future research and clinical inquiry.

Psychology

children, group psychotherapy, mood dysregulation, resilience

Psychology

Degree Awarded: Ph.D. Psychology. The Catholic University of America

Advisors/Committee Members: The Catholic University of America (Degree granting institution), Rich, Brendan (Thesis advisor), Wagner, Barry (Committee member), Barrueco, Sandra (Committee member), Hsieh-Yee, Ingrid (Committee member), Daughtery, Laura (Committee member).

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Degree awarded: Ph.D. Religion and Culture. The Catholic University of America

This dissertation can be viewed by CUA users only.

Within the context of the Millennium Development Goals, governments and donors have made improvements in human development in developing countries a key priority. Public sector service providers have a leading role in efforts to improve health and education outcomes, but private providers, including faith-inspired institutions (FIIs), may also contribute. Unfortunately, in-depth empirical assessments of the role that FIIs play in providing health and education services have not been conducted to-date. The purpose of this study is to assess the role that FIIs play in healthcare and education service provision in Ghana and Burkina Faso, with comparisons with other sub-Saharan African countries. The study estimates the market share and reach to the poor of FIIs, their cost for households and their sources of funding, and the satisfaction of their users with the services provided as well as the reasons why individuals and households rely on those services. The study is based mainly on data from national household surveys, but administrative data and information from qualitative fieldwork are also used. The results suggest that the market share of FIIs in the provision of health and education services is lower than commonly believed. Many FIIs do not reach the poor more than public facilities, even if they make efforts to do so, but they do reach the poor more than private secular providers. The cost for households of the services provided by FIIs is often at least as high as that of public providers, but lower than that of private secular providers. When FIIs benefit from external support, they are able to make their services affordable for the poor. The satisfaction of users with the services provided by FIIs is often higher than for public facilities, with respect for users and attention to their needs on the part of the staffs of FIIs playing a key role for higher satisfaction. While faith is not a major factor affecting the choice of healthcare facilities by households, it does influence strongly the choice of schools, especially among Muslim populations. Finally, many of the results are context-specific, highlighting the need for detailed country and local level work in this area.

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Advisors/Committee Members: Barbieri, William (Advisor), Dinges, William (Other), Jones, Charles (Other), Zampelli, Ernest (Other).

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Degree awarded: Ph.D. Social Work. The Catholic University of America

This dissertation can be viewed by CUA users only.

Child sexual abuse is a multi-faceted societal phenomenon that creates a multitude of concerns for the social work profession. It is well documented that child sexual abuse can be traumatic and can lead to serious psychosocial problems in adulthood (Finkelhor & Browne, 1985; Gil, 2006; Knell, 1983, Lumly & Harkness, 2007; Sgroi, 1982). Multiple studies have shown that deaf children are at particularly high risk for child sexual abuse (Dobosh, 1999; Dube, 2011; Embry, 2000; Sullivan & Knutson, 2000; Willis, Vernon, & Scanlon, 1987; Willis & Vernon, 2002). Yet, there is a paucity of research on this topic with this population. This phenomenological, exploratory study investigated the "lived experience" of deaf women who were sexually abused as children and perceived post-traumatic growth that may have come out of the experience. Data were collected through participant's creation of a sandtray world. The data were analyzed using Moustakas' five-step approach to phenomenological research. The conceptual framework for the study was Jungian theory, Sandtray theory, and Posttraumatic Growth (PTG). Data analysis revealed the following themes on the experience of child sexual abuse with these adult deaf women: 1) the need to feel safe; 2) the experience of dysfunctional behavioral and social relationships; 3) mistrust; and 4) the importance of supportive relationships in the perceived presence of posttraumatic growth. Despite the presence of emotional scars, all participants saw their abuse as a part of their life's journey, making them who they are today. In contrast to existing scholarship and research, none of the participants in this study identified being deaf as the reason for their abuse, or as a hindrance in disclosure or receiving appropriate services. There is a vast need for more research to understand the experience of deaf individuals who have experienced child sexual abuse, the potential for posttraumatic growth, and the potential of sandtray to expand options for alternative evaluation and intervention approaches with this population. The findings of this study help inform social workers, who provide services to deaf individuals, about a more syntonic evaluation and treatment modality for addressing a sensitive topic with a vulnerable population.

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Advisors/Committee Members: Sabatino, Christine A (Advisor), Early, Barbara (Other), Bennett, Susanne (Other).

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Degree awarded: Ph.D. English Language and Literature. The Catholic University of America

The York Cycle Passion sequence yields numerous references to fifteenth-century laws and the practice of law. The trial of Jesus is conducted using the language of contemporary English trials, and during the trial, Jesus is accused of such fifteenth-century crimes as witchcraft, defamation, preaching without a license, and high treason. Many scholars have studied the trial and Passion sequence, noting the references to contemporary law practice and debating how Jesus' trial follows or flouts the justice system. What has not yet been discussed thoroughly is the pervasive reference to law and law-breaking throughout the cycle as a whole. Throughout the Old Testament plays and the New Testament plays that precede the Passion sequence, characters are accused of English crimes from scolding to adultery to high treason. Furthermore, these crimes cut across jurisdictional boundaries, including deeds that would be tried before ecclesiastical courts, local law courts, and royal justices.This dissertation examines not only the trial and Passion sequence but also focuses on the more neglected legal aspects of the earlier plays. As stated above, the crimes described encompass many jurisdictions; what they also include is a genuine cross-section of contemporary English society. Peasant farmers (Adam and Eve) break their promise to their lord, middle-class wives scold their husbands (Noah and his wife), and Jesus, who is often depicted as royal, especially in "The Entry into Jerusalem," is put to death for crimes against the state. What seems true in all cases is that when God is involved directly in judgment, innocent parties are exonerated; however, when earthly justice comes into play, judgment is no longer impartial, fair, or correct. Attention to the many nuances of laws, judges, jurisdictions, and legal practices can profoundly alter our understanding of the York Cycle and its legal contexts.

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Advisors/Committee Members: Wright, Stephen K (Advisor), Mack, Michael (Other), Gibbons, Daniel (Other).

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The dissertation represents the first comprehensive, academic examination of the character of Abner in the books of Samuel (1 Sam 14:50-51; 17:55–18:5; 20:25; 26:1-16; 2 Sam 2:8-32; 3:6-39), and it examines Abner’s character as it both resembles a real human being and functions as a literary device in the Masoretic Text (MT) and Septuagint (LXX). Following the examples of Sara Koenig and other biblical scholars (e.g., Robert Alter, Shimon Bar-Efrat, Adele Berlin, and Meir Sternberg), this dissertation gives attention to the ways these texts characterize Abner through direct and indirect characterization, narrative gaps, direct discourse, terminology, and grammar related to Abner, and the dissertation discusses the moral presentation of Abner in the texts and his character development from 1 Samuel into 2 Samuel. Moreover, utilizing Alex Woloch’s The One vs. The Many, the dissertation examines Abner’s character-space — the encounter between a character’s personality traits and its position within the narrative — in MT and LXX. While Abner’s character mimics a real human being in the way he is described, acts, and speaks in the stories, his character also contributes to the plots, structures, and messages of MT and LXX, and he illuminates other characters, especially Joab. The dissertation first devotes significant attention to Abner’s character-space in MT, followed by a discussion of how LXX differs from MT with respect to Abner. The dissertation concludes that Abner is a minor but complex and generally positive character who is integral to the plot of the story. Positively, Abner holds a powerful position within Saul’s court, is persuasive and shrewd, relies heavily upon rhetoric and questions, prefers peace over violence, and is widely respected by other characters. Negatively, he is lustful, presumptuous, and callous, and is an ineffectual military commander. The LXX presents Abner as a more powerful, threatening and yet merciful but less rhetorically shrewd character than does MT. As a literary device, Abner’s character symbolizes Saul and his kingdom, signals negative transitions for Saul’s house, illuminates other characters, and acts as the catalyst for the peaceful transition of power from the house of Saul to the house of David.

Biblical studies

Literature

Abner, Hebrew Bible, Literary Criticism, Minor Characters, Samuel, Septuagint

Biblical Studies

Degree Awarded: Ph.D. Biblical Studies. The Catholic University of America

Advisors/Committee Members: The Catholic University of America (Degree granting institution), Bosworth, David (Thesis advisor), Miller II, Robert (Committee member), Cook, Edward (Committee member).

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The study of film music has become a significant discipline within musicology and film studies. While preexisting music has gained considerable popularity in recent cinema practice, early cinema used preexisting music sparingly. As a result, academic study of film music has largely engaged the subject of the classical Hollywood score, or a musical work designed to complement a specific film.Throughout the twentieth century, filmmakers expanded the art form in new and creative ways; one such undertaking was to use alternate music selections that could contribute deeper sources of meaning. In the new millennium, preexisting music in film has become something of a new standard, and scholars have recently begun to address these features. Though preexisting music does not impart significant meaning in every case, it is worth considering when, how, and in what ways preexisting music can bring denotative and connotative material alongside it. Such an additive meaning may not only enhance narrative signification, as is the general practice of the classical Hollywood score, but in some cases, meaning can be altered via the expression of social, cultural, economic and/or political associations stemming from the music’s origins.Historical fiction film presents, but is not limited to, narratives hinged upon true historical events or actual persons from history, while in many cases theorizing specific interactions that are not historically documented. As fictionalized narratives, they offer insight into what could have been, or what history might not tell us. Like any cinematic genre, historical fiction film includes classical scoring techniques and/or preexisting music. Musicological research has provided clear ways to evaluate whether a historical film includes accurately contemporaneous music. Interestingly, this is usually not the case. Filmmakers have largely depended on nineteenth-century compositional conventions, even to accompany narrative from previous centuries. In special cases,musical sources can contribute to a given scene or situation by addressing contemporaneousness itself. As such, the historical fiction film provides its own unique area of inquiry.The intent of this dissertation is to provide close readings of three historical fiction films, Martin Scorsese’s Gangs of New York (2002), Sofia Coppola’s Marie Antoinette (2006), and Quentin Tarantino’s Django Unchained (2012). Each of these films use a considerable number of preexisting musical sources from various eras and with diverse musical styles. By examining connotative and denotative values of the preexisting musical sources in each, I attempt to interpret the intertextual relationship between image, dialogue, narrative, and music.

Music

Film studies

Music history

Film Studies, Music History, Musicology, Music Theory

Musicology

Degree Awarded: Ph.D. Musicology. The Catholic University of America

Advisors/Committee Members: The Catholic University of America (Degree granting institution), Weaver, Andrew (Thesis advisor), Baker, Robert (Committee member), Taylor Gibson, Christina (Committee member), Wood, Naaman (Committee member).

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Degree awarded: Ph.D. Spanish. The Catholic University of America

Before August 8, 2013, this dissertation can be viewed by CUA users only. [6 months embargo]

In the latter half of the sixteenth century, Spain's Catholic rulers faced a problem of their own making: having forced Spain's remaining Muslim population to convert to Christianity, these rulers now suspected that these converts, known as Moriscos, were not faithful to the crown or to their newly-adopted Catholic faith.  Decades of political and theological debate concerning the Moriscos' ensued, only to be resolved when King Philip III, in 1609, finally determined to expel the Moriscos, aiming to rid the Iberian Peninsula of their purportedly destabilizing influence.  The decision was not universally popular, and out of concern that the expulsion could be undone, several clerics and men of political influence became apologists for the massive deportation campaign, justifying the expulsion and glorifying its results. The purpose of this dissertation is to explore how the treatises of the apologists Pedro Aznar Cardona (<I>Expulsión justificada de los Moriscos españoles</I>), Damián Fonseca (<I>Justa expulsión de los moriscos de España</I>), Marcos de Guadalajara y Javier (<I>Memorable expulsión y justísimo destierro de los Moriscos de España</I> and <I>Prodición y destierro de los moriscos de Castilla hasta la Valle de Ricote</I>), and Jaime Bleda (<I>Crónica de los Moros de España</I>) provide a foundation for the formation of a Spanish national identity based on a shared Catholic faith. This study specifically examines the apologists' rhetorical strategies and goals, exploring the ways in which they seek to establish Morisco<I> </I>otherness as a means of reinforcing the institutional hegemony of the Catholic faith. The apologists hope to persuade their Catholic audience of the risks to their physical and spiritual safety if Moriscos were to return to the Peninsula, thereby safeguarding their ideal Spanish Catholic nation from future contamination.

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Advisors/Committee Members: Alvarez, Lourdes M (Advisor), Damiani, Bruno M (Other), Shoemaker, Peter (Other).